A Moment With Brendan Ives of Bear Rentals

Friday, 10 June 2016posted by ecritchley

Introducing the company that helped shape ‘The Lost Track’ series, Bear Rentals, an innovative 4WD rental company recreating the way we travel. We took the time to learn a bit more about the family owned business that re-constructs Land Rover Defenders to take the stress out of road tripping and camping. Take a look at what Managing Director Brendan Ives had to say…..

Tell us about Bear Rentals…We are a family owned and operated company – started in late 2012. We started with two Land Rovers and have been slowly growing ever since. We aren’t interested in being the biggest vehicle hire company or the cheapest – we just wanted to create a rental company that would break the preconceptions that most people have about hiring a vehicle –we like to say we are an adventure travel company that happens to hire out fully kitted out Land Rover Defenders.

As the Managing Director of Bear Rentals, what does your day to day tasks include?Every day has something different in store – but generally it is a mix. Designing and building the campers (which is my favorite part of the business – more often than not Ben my 2IC has to remind me I have other things to attend to haha) – dealing with customer inquiries is a big part of the day, we are extremely customer focused so I don’t like to leave anyone waiting! Finally the rest is spent on developing the brand and finding ways to expand Bear and get out name out there.

What kind of vehicles do you guys hire out?Only Land Rover’s – mostly Defenders – but recently we launched a new model called ‘The Black’ which is built on a Land Rover Discovery.

Why did you start the company?After high school I went over seas on a gap year which turned into a gap decade – I had traveled the world by planes, trains, buses and just about everything in between – but my favourite means of travelling was to road trip. I traveled through Southern Africa on the back of an old Leyland flatbed truck – down the coast of the USA in a U Haul removal truck with a mattress in the back and around Europe in an old Daimler Benz motor home (possibly the ugliest motor home ever created but we had some awesome times). Then after nine and a bit years of travelling I decided I wanted to start a tourism based business – I had been working as a travel agent in the UK and saw a bit of a hole in the market, I had one Land Rover Defender of my own which I was gearing up to go travelling and so it all kind of just grew from there.

What motivated you to get involved with the Lost Track series?What Torren and Ishka are doing is exactly what I had in mind when I started Bear – it was about heading out on the road unknown with your mates and just seeing where you end up. So many tourist come to Australia and hardly leave the East Coast tarmac – The Great Ocean Road, Byron Bay, Sydney – these are all spectacular destinations, but there is just so much more to see – I want people to see what the boys are doing and get excited and get out there and see it for them selves.

What is the most popular vehicle/package?‘The European’ is by far our most popular this is the car that is featured on Lost Track.

Can you tell us a bit about what is included in the package?The vehicle comes with everything you need to get of the grid and see Australia – it has a roof tent that sleeps two people with all bedding etc so you don’t have to lug any of that from home. Fridge, stove and kitchen box, satellite navigation as well as recovery gear (just in case) as well as water storage, table and chairs…all you need to bring is food, cloths and a sense of adventure.What’s next for Bear Rentals?

We are in the process of setting up a depot on the West Coast and then looking to opening in New Zealand in the next 12-18 months.